Fast Friday’s Motorcycle Speedway

Gold Country Fairgrounds

Marcucci and Janniro tops at Fast Friday’s

By Michael Kirby (Story & Photos)

AUBURN, CALIFORNIA, JUNE 19, 2009 

      For the second week in a row Billy Janniro showed his determination on the Fast Friday’s Motorcycle Speedway track picking up his second consecutive Division I Scratch Main Event win. Winning both his scratch heat races Friday night at the Gold Country Fairgrounds track, Janniro secured himself a place in the night’s finale with the fastest riders of the evening.  Janniro took control out of lane two as the tapes went up along side Auburn’s Bart Bast in lane one, Charlie Venegas in lane three, and Foresthill’s Kenny Ingalls against the wall in lane four.  Janniro wasted little time going two work, beating all riders to the inside lane on turn one and riding a bike length or so ahead of Bast to the finish line.  Bast tried to maneuver ahead of Janniro as the two went at it but it was to be Janniro’s night as he weaved from the center of the track to the inside just ahead of Bast on the well-worn “blue groove” of the slick track.  Bast took second, Venegas third and Ingalls fourth.  Janniro has been making adjustments to his bikes to be more competitive on the shorter tracks in California while settling in this season from a successful career racing on longer tracks of the European circuit last year. “We just set the bike up tonight at the track, and the track is really slick, so you can’t really tell, but things are improving,” Janniro said.

      In the handicap program, Alex Marcucci showed he had what it takes to mix it up with the boys winning all of his handicap heat races and squaring off against a very fast field in the Division I Handicap Main Event Friday night.  The 2003 Junior National Champion found his way to the winner’s podium ahead of JT Mabry who finished second, Bart Bast third and Billy Janniro who finished fourth.  Friday night’s handicap program brought some very exciting racing with Janniro starting on the very back 60 yard line showing flashes of his daring and aggressive riding, passing on the outside in gutsy moves trying to catch Marcucci to the crowds excited approval.

      Fast Friday’s also hosted a special vintage racing program Friday night, as a few riders brought out their old gear and tested their skills on older speedway motorcycles.  Riding bikes from another era, two valve upright motors instead of the four valve lay down motors of today’s bikes, Vince Felicio from the Felicio racing family bested the pack winning the night’s vintage main event.  Felicio, normally found behind the scenes keeping the Felicio family bikes running on Friday nights, dusted off his leathers and took to the track, “I just came out to play, I could probably pick it back up after a few weeks, but I’m a little old for this every week,” said Felicio.  Also taking a step back into the past on the old bikes was Bobby Hedden, Bobby Hicks, Steve Martynse, Billy Miester, and Bryan Yarrow.

      Division I Youth Main Event had Cody Ciciarelli taking the checkered flag, Tanner Kang second, and Amber Felicio third.  

Results

Division 1 Scratch Main Event

1-Billy Janniro 2-Bart Bast 3-Charlie Venegas 4-Kenny Ingalls 

Division I Handicap Main Event

1-Alex Marcucci 2-JT Mabry 3-Bart Bast 

Division 2 Main Event

1-Peter Pedersen 2-Dan Turner 3-Tori Hubbert 

Division 3 Main Event

1-Billy Parino 2-Billy Vaughn 3-Kjell Lovlien 

Division 1 Youth Main Event

1-Cody Ciciarelli 2-Tanner Kang 3-Amber Felicio 

Division 2 Youth Main Event

1-PJ Byrne 2-Jamison Dilkey 3-Ryan Vaughn